Gap is experimenting with a new way to stop passersby — with Whispering Window ‘invisible audio’ displays from FeONIC Technology.

Following a 2011 test at Gap's flagship store in Rome, new window displays at the brand's flagship stores in London, Paris, Rome and Milan are showcasing its current Be Bright 'Denim Moves You' campaign, convert the window surface into a speaker projecting the sound from a video showcasing American 'jookin' dancer Lil' Buck.

Produced in partnership with London-based creative digital agency Signal Noise, the displays feature six 46-inch LCD screens with the speakers placed behind window vinyl graphics making the installation discreet and unobtrusive.Continue reading...

A few of America’s biggest shoe brands owned by the same company will be going their separate ways soon. A purchase price of $2 billion works wonders to make those kinds of things happen. Collective Brands Inc., which owns such footwear brands as Sperry Top-Sider and Keds as well as discount shoe retailer Payless ShoeSource, has agreed to be sold for $2 billion and divided into two companies.

As the Chicago Tribune reports, Collective will be a collective no more, with its brands divided between Wolverine Worldwide, Blum Capital and Golden Gate Capital, which all have a tough financial road ahead for these brands.Continue reading...